The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Her black, form-fitting robe billowed silently as the nun broke free from the power sword's restraints and stood up once more. Ash-like embers drifted and clung to her skirt and long hair, their intense light dazzling.

Fran reached out and touched a dark spot beside him, his fingers swiftly passing through without any resistance.

"It seems that what you inherited from Yaheng was not only the title of Funeral Minister..."

There used to be a wooden counter standing there. If the effect of these shadows was merely to cover the field of vision, then she should have been able to touch the obstacle... but right now she couldn't touch anything.

Hmm... perhaps the shape of the space has changed, or perhaps it's deceiving our senses.

Between the two answers, Fran leaned towards the former. She didn't believe anyone could deceive themselves with false senses.

"Dr. Fran, shall we continue to try to suppress it?"

Haida gripped the hilt of the power sword "Nirvana" tightly, her eyes flashing for a moment. Compared to before, the nun's aura and demeanor had undergone a profound change.

The nun before was pitiful and mournful, like a lost soul. But ever since the burning embers surrounding her appeared, her eyes have been filled only with a frenzied obsession.

“No need, just stay by my side and wait. She has activated the mid-level Class 1 secret technique [Burning Avatar], and she is in great danger now.”

Before Fran could finish speaking, the nun flashed forward, her shadow scythe already close to Fran's neck.

At the same time, countless mutated optic nerves emerged from the shadows and embedded themselves in Fran's wrists and ankles, pinning her firmly to the spot.

The first is "to remove dust and grime".

As Fran's lips moved, a spherical field of clear light unfolded around her.

The countless eyeballs hidden in the shadows were thus exposed, revealing swollen, fleshy bodies.

"Dear nun, please look carefully... what exactly is surrounding you now? And what have you become?"

The nun immediately stopped what she was doing, and her originally resolute killing intent was now tinged with a hint of confusion.

Fran smiled and reached out to lightly touch her eyes with his fingertips. The deep blackness faded, revealing a bright chestnut gray.

Within the area of ​​"Dust Removal and Purification," countless eyeballs, like those swimming in water, were writhing and struggling wildly, but they could not re-enter the shadows.

"As I said, the 'divine plague' has vanished. Where did this contamination, so concentrated it could take on a physical form, come from? It came from your shadow... from the 'Throne of Judgment'!"

The third nun's pupils contracted slightly, and her hand holding the Shadow Scythe trembled inexplicably.

The blade of her scythe was already close to Fran's neck; a gentle swipe would have been enough to remove his delicate head, but she hesitated to make a move.

Haida, standing to the side, pursed her lips slightly, also sensing a hint of surprise.

Is it due to external pollution, or is there a hidden danger in the father's sickle itself?

"No, absolutely not..."

The nun looked around in a daze; countless filthy eyeballs were writhing on the ground like fish struggling in their death throes.

Fran's voice rang out calmly and clearly.

Why is there no pollution or evil offspring in other neighborhoods, but the pollution gets worse closer to the city's inner ring road?

"Why are we and the other survivors not wearing protective gear, yet showing no signs of infection with the plague?"

"Why did that dragon progenitor, who was clearly so terrified of you, not fly away from Norrington?"

Why don't those people hiding in the Moth Den in the West District want to leave the city?

She asked questions smoothly and coherently, her arms slightly outstretched, and began answering them herself before the nun could respond.

"The answer is simple yet absurd, so much so that even though I had guessed it long ago, I could not be completely sure... You used yourself and that scythe as the key connecting the two worlds, plunging the entire Norrington into shadow."

"That is why neither the disease nor the living can escape it."

Fran spoke quickly and clearly, with ease, even in a storytelling style.

"A crazy yet resolute idea, that's definitely the style of a mystery hunter."

The golden-red embers on the nun's body dimmed slightly, and her hand holding the Shadow Scythe loosened slightly, causing the Judgment Throne to fall to the ground and merge back into the shadows.

"That was so long ago. I... can't remember."

"Yes, that's why I often remind patients not to abuse these kinds of secret techniques that require burning mental energy and memory, as they can really affect intelligence... Have you considered writing a book on linear algebra to help them recover?"

Before anyone knew it, Fran had taken out his brass pocket watch again, the slender gold chain swaying gently in his hand.

"You stopped the spread of the divine plague, but by lingering in the Shadow Realm for so long, an unspeakable deity has cast its gaze upon this city. He has smelled you, seen you, and is about to touch you..."

"Waiting in the shadows will only lead to ruin and drowning... Sister, let Norrington return to his homeland."

The nun trembled noticeably for a moment when she heard the word "homeland." In that instant of her hesitation, something unexpected happened.

The darkness that had enveloped the entire room receded like a tide, being absorbed back into the nun's body.

Countless eyes darted around on her scythe, each one fixed intently on the two people's faces.

"It's too late...humanity."

The nun let out a hoarse moan, reaching into her own reflection to retrieve two ominous, enormous shadow scythes. Her fingers twitched uncontrollably, strangely and erratically, like those of a marionette.

"Oh, here comes my favorite part: the 'mastermind behind the scenes gets angry' segment."

"It's pretty much as expected. The nun with the scythe should have three stages... We can proceed to the final treatment."

Fran stepped back two paces and deftly hid behind Haida.

Facing this "self" wielding two sickles, Haida felt a sense of urgency, the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears.

After activating [Burning Avatar], the nun before him already possessed an oppressive aura almost akin to that of a chief hunter. Now, she also displayed a magnificent yet sinister divinity, purer than that of a "servant in a cup," nearly approaching that of an "apostle."

“Dr. Fran, should we try to disengage?” Haida turned around and glanced at Fran, who was standing behind her.

Her wording was formal and official, but her meaning was very clear.

In short, it boils down to "Do we need to run away?"

The roles of hunter and prey constantly shift depending on the strength of the current; sometimes, temporarily avoiding overly dangerous situations is a wise decision...

"If the situation gets out of control, then let's ask Ivenne to use her invincible Darkmoon Greatsword to think of a solution... For now, let's observe for the time being. Based on my experience, the nun's situation is still relatively optimistic."

Fran maintained the clear, bright spherical area that "removed dust and dirt," constantly dispelling and clearing away the increasingly dense pollution haze in the room.

"Can this situation really be considered 'optimistic'...?"

Haida narrowed her eyes, her expression quite subtle.

The nun before me was as if she were wearing a mask; her face was completely covered in shadow, her features and facial contours blending into pure black.

At the same time, twelve vertebrae extended from her back, like the limbs of a spider or the wings of a crow.

The nun's soft murmurs gradually became clearer, as if they were being sung by a bard, or narrated in the first person.

"...The bird that spied on the cycle of fate was caught in a net and fell to the ground in fear. The hunter took out its eyes with his sword, leaving only five of its six eyes; he stained its feathers with blood, so that the thief would have nothing left; he made a coffin for it with oak and banyan, so that its body would be forever shrouded in darkness."

“I, banished to the shadows to rot, have been able to steal the hunter’s beloved companion. Ah, how fortunate I am. The mercy and mockery of the wheel of fate…”

Raven feathers drifted around the nun, her presence growing stronger until she was almost invisible. With just a glance, Haida felt a tearing pain in her head.

Looking directly at the nun whose aura grew increasingly deep and somber, Fran's amber eyes gleamed with a gentle smile.

“Look, she is possessed and blessed by foreign gods, yet she can still maintain her human form and retain her ability to speak… This is almost nothing short of a miracle.”

"While modern medicine is advanced, ultimately patients still have to face their illnesses themselves. Most of the time, doctors can only provide some protection..."

Dark blood plasma spilled from Fran's mouth and eyes, and almost instantly he showed symptoms of acute contamination.

She coughed lightly a few times, and was helped up by Haida just as she was about to fall. Lu

"Dr. Fran, are you taking the brunt of the damage for her?" Lu

Heda noticed the rash-like eyeballs and raven feathers on Fran's body, which led to her speculation.

“Connecting the two of their minds is one of the basic applications of the ‘Swinging Heart Bell.’ If I take the erosion, she should be able to regain control of her body. Hmm… this is just an emergency measure, it should only last about five seconds?” Temple

Fran grinned.

Although her muscles were trembling uncontrollably and red and black blood was gushing out like a spring, her words still carried an orderly calmness.

At the same time, the nun, who was now almost indistinguishable from an apostle, let out a relieved sigh.

"...Five seconds is enough."

Just as the ascension ceremony of the "Apostle" was about to be completed, she laboriously and slowly grasped the Executioner's Throne and brought her neck to the blade.

A dull thud echoed as the object landed.

As the head was severed from the body, the last Funeral Master of the Hunter Order finally closed his eyes.

[Hyda Moira, the 'Funeral Master,' has been cured of her confusion and chronic illness. This quarter's outreach mission is complete, completion rate: S. Your next cross-realm outreach mission will be randomly triggered next quarter.]

[This consultation fee includes: Unknown technology x1 (high quality, unidentified), Unknown processing module x1 (high quality, unidentified).]

"Phew, it's so good that we don't have to confront them head-on. With nuns in three stages and 'apostles' of otherworldly evil gods, facing any of them would be quite troublesome."

Fran breathed a sigh of relief; the symptoms of pollution were visibly subsiding.

Heda then skillfully took out a handkerchief and wiped the sticky bloodstains from the corner of her mouth.

"Dr. Fran, is there really a god lurking in the shadow of the Throne of the Decapitated?"

Since it concerned her obsessive father, Haida pondered for a moment before finally asking the question.

"That scythe is merely the key to the Shadow Realm. The reason it was targeted is because sinking an entire city into the shadows is something no sane person would do."

“There are no celestial bodies in the Shadow Realm, therefore… He has actually been watching us all along.”

Fran rose from Haida's embrace and casually opened the silk curtain on the window.

Above the night sky, a blood-red full moon, nearly filling the entire firmament, shifted its focus like the pupil of a gaze. The hatred in its eyes was almost tangible, sending chills down one's spine.

"Being noticed by Xie Jiu is nothing serious. The house call is over, and we'll be able to go back soon."

She patted Haida lightly, then stretched comfortably.

"...Can a patient's death be considered a completed house call?"

Looking at the peacefully closed head of this other version of herself, Haida felt a strange mix of emotions...

"Hmph, just tell me if the illness has been cured or not."

Fran gave a soft snort. He then picked up the nun's head, opened his medicine box, and began to retrieve medical instruments.

"Besides, it's just a turn of the head... I didn't say she was dead. In my life, death requires my consent."

If a patient dies, the completion rating of the treatment will be affected accordingly. This is why she often says that only quacks abuse the concept of death…

-

The nun suddenly opened her eyes, breathing heavily.

The sun's rays were bright and dazzling, and the morning breeze, carrying the scent of dew, dispersed the haze and dust that had shrouded the city for countless years.

The material world is as beautiful as a fragile illusion, like wisps of smoke caught between your fingers, which may dissipate at any moment.

"I thought hell was just filled with molten fire and ashes..."

In a daze, a tear silently traced down her cheek. Then, a stinging pain on her neck brought her back to reality.

With a hint of doubt, the nun ran her fingertips over her neck. Above the skin and artery was a black suture.

-

Chapter Sixty-Four: Reproductive Spirit Bone

Stepping through the swirling mist, Haida turned the handle of the wooden door and returned to her room.

The quilt on her bed was neatly folded, exuding the lingering scent of sunshine after being aired out. The succulents on the bookshelf were inconspicuous, but they were growing vigorously and were blooming with light pink flowers.

Heda removed the guns and folding knives from under her nun's robes, then placed the Power Sword on its mount. She was thus freed from her heavy armor.

She then went into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on her face from the sink. This made her feel much more awake.

After witnessing the city where she grew up reduced to ruins and familiar faces turned into towering piles of corpses... she now needs some quiet time to relax her tense and sensitive mind.

Gently rubbing her temples, Haida glanced thoughtfully at the ticking clock on the wall to one side.

"Speaking of which... Ms. Marian has her routine medical check-up today."

Just as she was thinking, Marianne's voice called out from outside the door, accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the floor.

"Little Haida, are you there? Hmm, the door's ajar... Shall I come in?"

"...Please come in."